More than 100 lots sold to neighbors in SW Detroit

DETROIT (AP) — More than 100 vacant lots in Detroit have been sold for $200 each to neighbors in an effort to clean up vacant properties.

Mayor Dave Bing announced the results Thursday and said the effort would be expanded beyond the city’s southwest side.

First announced last spring, the “picket fence program” allows people to buy adjacent lots from Detroit and expand their property for just $200. Buyers then get a $200 gift card from the Charter One Foundation to buy fence materials or supplies to improve the lot.

The mayor says larger lots give homeowners a “suburban kind of lifestyle” in Detroit. The program also puts the land back on the tax rolls.